Cloth-holding device for buttonhole attachments



July 3, 1951 co s 2,559,115

CLOTH-HOLDING DEVICE FOR BUTTONI- IOLE ATTACHMENTS Filed Nov. 4, 1949 Patented July 3, 1951 v CLOTH-HOLDING DEVICE FOR BUTTON- HOLE ATTACHMENTS John Connors, Hamden, Conn., assignor to The Greist Manufacturing Company, New Haven, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application November 4, 1949, Serial No. 125,636

8 Claims. (Cl. 112-77) This invention relates to sewing-machine attachments and more particularly to a cloth-honiing device for certain of such attachments, or 2. means to prevent the cloth being pulled upwardly by the needle when it is withdrawn from the cloth, or other material being sewed, upon the upward movement of the needle bar.

As illustrated, the invention is applied to a buttonhole attachment designed to be attached to the usual household sewing machine after removal oi the usual presser foot, the attachment being secured to the usual presser bar. In the use of certain of these attachments, such for example a device for stitching buttonholes, where the feeding foot must be provided with a relatively large slot through which the needle operates, diflicults is sometimes encountered in that the cloth which is being sewed will tend to blouse"-or be drawn upwardly with the upward movement of the needle. This is due to the fact that the edges of the slot in the feeding foot do not lie closely adjacent the needle and, therefore, cannot hold the cloth downwardly upon the machine bed at points close to the needle.

It is contemplated by the present invention to provide a movable cloth-holding member which will be carried by the attachment and which is provided with a holding foot, or end portion, which will lie relatively close to the needle. This member is actuated or moved by the fork arm. or some other movable part of the attachment, so that when the fork arm descends to drive the needle through the material being sewed the forward or operating end of the holding member will be moved downwardly against the cloth or ma terial and will remain in this position durin the initial portion of the upward movement of the needle. Thus, the holding member will prevent the lifting of the cloth by the needle until the latter is loosened from the material, at which time, the holding member will be raised from the cloth to permit release of the latter for the feeding operation.

In other words, while the cloth is held down against the bed when the needle begins its upward stroke so that it will be loosened from the cloth and not draw the latter upwardly with it. the cloth will be released after the needle is drawn therefrom so that it will not be gripped or held during the feeding movements of the cloth and. therefore, will not interfere with these feeding movements. The hold-down device being actuated from the fork arm or some other movable part of the device which is in turn actuated. by the fork arm, will be synchronized in its move ment with that of the needle bar and with the feed mechanism so as not to interfere with the normal sewing operations.

- One object of the present invention is to provide a cloth-holding device for a sewing-machine attachment such as a buttonhole attachment.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cloth-holding attachment for a buttonhole or similar sewing-machine attachment which will engage the cloth being sewed and hold the same against blousing, but at the same time release the cloth so as not to interfere with the proper feeding of the latter.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a cloth-holding device for a buttonhole or similar sewing -machine attachment having a pivoted fork arm operated from the needle bar of the sewing machine; the cloth-holding device comprising a lever pivoted on the frame on the side opposite that upon which the fork arm is disposed, and to provide cam means on the fork arm for actuating this lever in movements about its pivot.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a cloth-hold-down device for a buttonhole or similar attachment of the character described in which the hold-down device comprises a lever pivoted on the frame on the side opposite the fork arm, the pivot means being constituted by a shaft rotatably or oscillatably mounted on the frame and extending to a position adjacent the fork arm, this extended end of the shaft being provided with an actuating arm or lever engaged by cam means provided upon the fork arm.

To these and other ends the invention consists in the novel features and combinations of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a buttonhole attachment having my cloth-holding device applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. l is an elevational view of the forward end of the attachment showing the hold-down device in a different position from that shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged elevational view of the forward end of the attachment from the side opposite that shown in Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the cloth-holding lever and associated parts.

As illustrated in the drawings, the buttonhole attachment comprises a frame [.0 having a base plate ll upon the under side of which is mounted a feed blade l2. The feed blade is pivoted to the plate by the pivot pin B, which pin is slidable in the slot [4 in the plate II so as to adjust the position of the pivot pin and thereby adjust the lateral throw of the forward portion of the feed blade. The pivot pin l3 may be adjusted in the slot M by means of the adjusting arm [5 attached to the pivot pin at its forward end and provided adjacent its rear end with a plurality of teeth 5 designed to be engaged with the flanged edge I! of a housing member l8 mounted upon the frame.

Secured to the feed blade 121s an endless rack member 20, the teeth of which are engaged by those of a pinion 2| mounted upon a shaft 22, which shaft is rotatably mounted in a housing 23 carried by an actuating lever 24 pivoted at 25 upon the frame plate The rack member '20 may be held in place by a cover plate 26 pivoted to the frame at 21 and provided with a flat spring member 28 which engages the lower side of the rack member 20.

The lever 24 oscillates in a substantially horizontal plane about the pivot pin 25 and at the forward end of this lever is provided a pin or roller 30 which acts as a cam follower and is disposed in the cam track 3| of a cam wheel 32, this cam wheel being secured to a shaft 33 rotatably mounted in spaced upstanding frame members 34 which may be formed integrally with a plate 35 riveted or otherwise secured to the base plate Also secured to the members 34 is an adapter 36 by which the device may be secured to the presser bar of a sewing machine after the presser foot has been removed.

It will be obvious from the above arrangement that when the cam wheel 32 is rotated, the lever 24 will be oscillated as will also the pinion 2! carried thereby, and the engagement of this pinion with the teeth of the rack 23 will effect oscillation of the feed blade and thereby effect lateral movements of the work due to the fact that a feeding foot 31 is carried at the forward end of the feed blade l2. As shown in Fig. 2, this feeding foot is provided with a relatively large oblong opening 38 through which the needle is designed to operate and this foot may be roughened as shown at 39 on its lower face so as to properly engage and move the material which is being sewed.

Secured to the shaft 33 is a ratchet wheel 46, the teeth of which are engaged by a pawl 4| pivoted at 42 to a fork arm 43 loosely mounted upon the shaft 33, this pawl being urged into engagement with the ratchet wheel by the spring 44. The fork arm 43 is provided with a bifurcated end 45 designed to be engaged with the needle bar of the sewing machine so that the arm 43 will be reciprocated upon reciprocation of the needle bar. This will effect step-by-step rotation of the ratchet wheel 40, and, therefore, of the shaft 33, and of the cam wheel 32 secured to this shaft. As has already been described, rotation of the cam wheel will effect lateral oscillation of the lever 24 and lateral feeding movements of the work.

Secured to the shaft 22 is a reatchet wheel 41, the teeth of which are adapted to intermittently engage a resilient pawl 48 fixed to the frame upon oscillation of the lever 2'4. The engagement of the teeth of the ratchet 41 by the pawl 48 during lateral movements of the lever 24 will effect step-by-step rotation of the shaft 22 and, therefore, of the pinion 2| carried thereby. This step-by-step rotation of the pinion 2|, by its engagement with the teeth of the rack 20, causes longitudinal movements of the feed blade l2 to which the rack is secured, so as to effect longitudinal movements of the cloth for proper oblong stitching around the buttonhole.

The operation of the parts above described is substantially like that of the device shown in the Almquist Patent No. 2,482,607, granted September 20, 1949, so that no further description thereof is believed to be necessary. It will be apparent, however, that upon oscillation of the fork arm 43 by the needle bar of the sewing machine the mechanism will cause the mater al engaged by the feeding foot 31 to be moved laterally and at the same time feed longitudinally so that it will travel in a generally oblong path and efiect a line of zig-zag stitches at each side of the buttonhole.

A shaft or pin 50 is rotatably mounted in the frame members 34 below and forwardly of the shaft 33, and the shaft 53 projects slightly beyond the frame members at both ends. On the end of this shaft at the side of the frame opposite the fork arm 43, a cloth hold-down lever 5| is rigidly secured, this lever comprising a rearwardly extending portion 52 disposed in a vertical plane and a forwardly extending portion 53 disposed in a horizontal plane. As shown more especially in Fig. 2, the forward portion 53 of the lever 5| is provided with an inwardly projecting portion 54 which terminates in a downwardly projecting cloth-holding foot 55, the latter extending into the opening 38 in the feeding foot 31 so as to engage the cloth at a point adjacent the needle of the sewing machine.

Upon the end of the pin or shaft 50, adjacent the fork arm 43, an actuating arm 56 is secured, this arm lying below and in the plane of the fork arm 43 and the latter is provided with a cam surface 58 adapted to engage the arm 53 during movements of the fork arm, and rock the shaft 5|] so as to swing the rear end of the lever 5| downwardly and raise the foot from the cloth. The edge of the cam surface 58 is substantially concentric with the axis of the shaft 33 so that as long as the cam is in engagement with the arm 55, the foot 55 will be held in an upper position out of engagement with the cloth.

A spring 63 is secured at one end to the rear portion 52 of the lever 5i and secured at its other end to an arm 62 carried by one of the frame members 34 so that this spring tends to urge the rear end of the lever 5| upwardly and thus urge the foot 55 downwardly or toward the cloth or material which is being sewed. Thus, the arm 55 is held in engagement with the cam 58 and the foot 55 resiliently urged to the lowest position permitted by engagement of the cam with the arm 56.

The fork arm 43 is shown in substantially its uppermost position or at the upper end of its stroke in Fig. l of the drawings, and it will be seen that the initial or leading point of the cam 55 is approximately below the center of the shaft 33 so that the arm 55 has been moved to its lowermost position and the foot 55 raised to substantially its uppermost position. Even if the fork arm moves beyond this point, no substantial change in the position of the holding foot 55 will be effected as the edge of the cam 53 is, as stated, substantially concentric with the shaft 33.

It will be apparent that as the fork arm moves downwardly from the position shown in Fig. 1, the leading end of the cam 58 will move to the right, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, and thus permit the arm 56, and, therefore, the rear end of the lever 5|, to be moved upwardly by the spring 60, so that when the fork arm reaches a point adjacent the lower end of its stroke, as shown in Fig. 4, the holding foot 55 will be resiliently urged against the cloth or material being sewed.

The holding foot will also remain in this position during the initial part of the upward movement of the fork arm, and as the ascent of the needle is, in any event, more rapid than the lifting of the holding foot 55, the needle will be loosened from the cloth while the latter is engaged by the holding, foot so that blousing of the material will be prevented. Upon the ascent of the needle bar from its lowermost position, the cam 58 will urge the arm 56 downwardly thus raising the holding foot 55 from the cloth to release the latter for the usual feeding operation of the material. Thus, the cloth will be effectively held when the needle is in its lowermost position and at the beginning of the upward stroke so that the needle will be properly withdrawn from the cloth, after which the cloth will be released so that there will be no interference with feeding of the material.

While I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that it is not to be limited to all of the details shown, but is capable of modification and variation within the spirit of the invention and within the scope of the claims.

What I claim is:

1. A sewing-machine attachment comprising a frame, a shaft rotatably mounted on the frame, a fork arm pivotally mounted on the shaft and adapted for connection to the needle bar, means connecting said fork arm to the shaft for actuation of the latter, a second shaft rockably mounted on the frame, a cloth-holding foot secured to said second shaft adjacent one end thereof, a second arm secured to said second shaft adjacent the other end thereof, and cam means on the fork arm adapted to engage said second arm to move said holding foot upwardly from cloth-engaging position.

2. A sewing-machine attachment comprising a frame, a shaft rotatably mounted on the frame, a fork arm pivotally mounted on the shaft and adapted for connection to the needle bar, means connecting said fork arm to the shaft for actuation of the latter, a second shaft rockably mounted on the frame, a cloth-holding foot secured to said second shaft adjacent one end thereof, a second arm secured to said second shaft adjacent the other end thereof, cam means on the fork arm adapted to engage said second arm to move said holding foot upwardly from cloth-engaging position, and a spring operatively connected to the frame and to said foot to urge the latter downwardly.

3. A sewing-machine attachment comprising a frame, a shaft rotatably mounted on the frame, a fork arm pivotally mounted on the shaft at one side of the frame and adapted for connection to the needle bar, means connecting said fork arm to the shaft for actuation of the latter, a lever pivoted to the frame adjacent the side thereof remote from the fork arm and. having a downwardly extending cloth-engaging foot, a second arm pivoted to the frame adjacent the fork-arm side thereof, means connecting said second arm to said lever, and a cam on said fork arm to engage and actuate said second arm.

4. A sewing-machine attachment comprising a frame, a shaft rotatably mounted on the frame, a fork arm pivotally mounted on the shaft and adapted for connection to the needle bar, means connecting said fork arm to the shaft for actuation of the latter. a second shaft rockably mounted on the frame, a lever secured intermediate its ends to said second shaft, a portion of said lever extending forwardly from said second shaft and having a downwardly-extending cloth-engaging foot at its forward end, and cam means on the fork arm for actuating said second shaft to move said lever.

5. A sewing-machine attachment comprising a frame, a shaft rotatably mounted on the frame, a fork arm pivotally mounted on the shaft and adapted for connection to the needle bar, means connecting said fork arm to the shaft for actuation of the latter, a second shaft rockably mounted on the frame, a lever secured intermediate its ends to said second shaft, a portion of said lever extending forwardly from said second shaft and having a downwardly-extending cloth-engaging foot at its forward end, cam means on the fork arm for actuating said second shaft to move said lever, said lever also having a portion extending rearwardly of said second shaft, and a spring connected to said portion and to said frame to urge said holding foot downwardly to cloth-engaging position.

6. A sewing-machine attachment comprising a frame, a shaft rotatably mounted on the frame, a fork arm pivotally mounted on the shaft and adapted for connection to the needle bar, means connecting said fork arm to the shaft for actuation of the latter, a second shaft rockably mounted on the frame, a lever secured intermediate its ends to said second shaft, a portion of said lever extending forwardly from said second shaft and having a downwardly-extending cloth-engaging foot at its forward end, a second arm secured to said second shaft adjacent the fork arm, and cam means on said fork arm to engage said second arm and actuate said lever.

7. A sewing-machine attachment comprising a frame, spaced upstanding members secured to said frame, a shaft rotatably mounted in said members and having a fork arm pivoted thereon adjacent one end thereof, said fork arm being operatively connected to said shaft to actuate the same, a second shaft rockably mounted in said upstanding members below and forwardly of said first shaft, a lever secured on said second shaft adjacent one of said upstanding members. and having a downwardly-extending cloth-engaging foot at the forward end thereof, a second arm secured on said shaft adjacent the other of said upstanding members to be disposed below said fork arm, and cam means on said fork arm to engage said second arm to actuate said lever and move said cloth-engaging foot upwardly.

8. A sewing-machine attachment comprising a frame, spaced upstanding members secured to said frame, a shaft rotatably mounted in said members and having a fork arm pivoted thereon adjacent one end thereof, said fork arm being operatively connected to said shaft to actuate the same, a second shaft rockably mounted in said upstanding members below and forwardly of said first shaft, a lever secured on said second shaft adjacent one of said upstanding members and having a downwardly extending cloth-engaging foot at the forward end thereof, a second arm secured on said shaft adjacent the other of said upstanding members to be disposed below REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Powell Jan. 26, 1892 Number 

